Press release

Cepsa implements its Public Advisory Board in Huelva

The panel is a social communication tool to promote dialog and transparency with society

A group of Huelva business owners visited Cepsa’s facilities to discover first-hand the energy company’s importance in the Andalusian economy

With the aim of achieving and strengthening a satisfactory relationship with the environment, responding to the concerns of the local population and cultivating the permanent involvement of social collectives, Cepsa has implemented a “Public Advisory Board”—a tool for dialog which aims to foster a closer relationship with society encourage improvement and increase transparency.

The objective of this “external consultancy” panel is to expand knowledge of the environments closest to the Company and thus optimize relations with society by establishing a group of volunteers with different social and professional profiles. In addition, this participatory committee may identify points for improvement, and question and debate matters of common interest. In this way, it becomes a channel of dialog between Cepsa and the communities of interest represented by the Board.

On this first occasion, and as an initial step, a group of Huelva transportation, metal and environmental sector business owners belonging to the Huelva Business Owners Federation (FOE), visited the Cepsa facilities in Huelva and held a meeting with Company managers to discover first-hand the petrochemical business, and its contribution to the Andalusian economy. The visit included a tour of the laboratory, to check out the new systems that put Cepsa at the cutting edge of companies with the best technology available, including the control room and the production plants, which featured detailed information about improvements related to energy efficiency, environmental investments and safety.

At this meeting, business owners had the opportunity to convey the concerns of small and medium Huelva companies regarding important aspects such as the environment, the safety of the chemical and energy industry, employment, as well as opportunities for mutual collaboration. At the meeting, the first members of the Public Advisory Board were designated industry ambassadors to the energy company. For Cepsa, “Public Advisory Boards, which already exist in its operating centers in the Canary Islands and Campo de Gibraltar, represent another step in line with Cepsa’s ongoing relationship with society, as it presents and debates — with absolute transparency — all issues that generate interest or concern: safety protocols, impacts and environmental measures, CSR-related projects, etc. With this undertaking, we avoid rumors, unnecessary misrepresentations and scaremongering.” In addition to the new Public Advisory Board, Open Door sessions, visits from private or public institutions and educational outreach programs allow the Company to fulfill its commitment to transparency and maintain a constant dialog with society, in addition to showing its international focus, leadership, technical excellence and social responsibility.